MEATengines

My Shift To Chromag Armour

By: Claire

Chromag Shift knees; Chromag Shift elbows.
Chromag Shift knees; Chromag Shift elbows.

{Photo: Penny Deck.}


Hi, it’s Claire. Over a month ago my dad bought me a set of Chromag Shift armour. Knees and elbows. Chromag describes this armour as: “Level 2 Trail protection. All-day intent.” Which means extra protection compared to my old armour. My dad chose these because he’s been riding in them* for a while now and he likes them so much, he bought** them for me too.

I’ve been using them uphill and downhill, rain or shine, and in a word they are great. There are some pros and cons. They stay on, I barely notice them while pedaling, they fit under all my pants and they offer more comfort and protection. The only real problem I’ve experienced is that they are so hard to get off. Also, the elbows really only fit under my short sleeve jerseys and bigger layers like my jacket. They’re really tight with my long sleeve and 3/4 jerseys. That might be something I have to live with. I’ve done at least a dozen rides with them and I’ve definitely noticed the improvements in fit, and how well they stay on. 


*{Andrew’s first review of the Shift armour.}

**{More MEAT on the economics of the Shift armour for groms.}


Rise & Grind.
Rise & Grind.
Pedal & Explore.
Pedal & Explore.
Confident & Calculated.
Confident & Calculated.

{All Photos by Andrew unless noted.}


My armour has already saved me multiple times including July 12th. Today! We were riding back along the Bridle Path, on Mt. Seymour, when I had a weird restart on an uphill that made me fall over sideways. My knee hit the rock first, but I didn’t even notice that I’d hit it until my hand smacked down hard. Other than my hand being sore, I didn’t get hurt because of my fantastic left knee pad. Anyway, I rode away with just a little bruise on my hand.

Elbows.
Elbows.
Knees.
Knees.
Knees & Elbows.
Knees & Elbows.


My pads have also helped with not gashing my shins on my pedals. For example I have lots of scars from my pedals but my new pads, being longer, go right over them. Also, I used to get huge bruises on my knees from interfacing with my top tube, but my new armour has more padding on the side so that when I hit the side of my knee on something, I don’t get hurt. Even though they’re a lot longer they don’t get any hotter. Over all, they’re really good.

Long day comfort.
Long day comfort.
My current Samurai Voyager build. Originally bought used from really nice people.
My current Samurai Voyager build. Originally bought used from really nice people.

{Bike Photo: The Clairebarian.}

Good stuff.
Good stuff.


Over all, my new armour is great. Amazing even. I’d recommend it to anyone as long as it fits. Chromag makes five sizes of knees and elbows, and my dad says the fit chart is good. My parents also say that these pads cost them a lot of money* so for a more budget-friendly choice I would still recommend my 7iDP pads because they are comfortable and cheaper. But my new Chromag Shift armour is amazing and I’d tell anyone looking for armour to try them on. 


See Chromag for more information on the Shift knees & elbows. 


{*NJP & Mandrew: “Claire! Be more gentle when you take those off! They cost a lot of money!“}



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